Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is presently indicated in the US and International markets for treatment of chronic, intractable pain of the trunk and limbs, often due to failed back surgery syndrome or complex regional pain syndrome. In Europe, SCS is also indicated for treatment of intractable angina.
As understanding about mechanisms of pain management increase, and as indications expand to areas such as cardiovascular in which immediate patient perception of pain relief and paresthesias are not indicators of efficacy, it will be desirable to sense neural firing patterns along the spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
At present, nerve recording can only be done during acute studies with highly sensitive instrumentation. Nerve recording is typically enabled with surgically positioned microelectrodes for in situ recordings or with micropipette electrodes for isolated single-nerve patch or voltage clamp recordings.
There is a need in the art for practical, in-vivo recording of neural signals from the spinal cord of a patient.